BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C.—On Tuesday Berkeley County voters elected its newest sheriff.
According to the unofficial results, Republican candidate Duane Lewis walked away with 46.88% of the vote while Democratic candidate Anthony Smalls received 19.76%.
The general election attracted several write-in candidates, too, including former trooper Derrick Burbage and Melvin “M.C.” Bellew.
A group known as ‘The Concerned Voters of Berkeley County’ also aggressively campaigned for former sheriff candidate and North Charleston police officer Brian Adams as a write-in candidate.
In the end, write-ins received only 33.36% of the vote.
“Thank you so much for hanging in there,” wrote voter Ann Grimes on the official Duane Lewis for Sheriff
Facebook page. “You deserve this and we, here in Berkeley County, deserve a man like you!”
“Berkeley County is in good hands! Congratulations!” stated another Lewis voter, Roseanne Black.
Lewis, the chief deputy of law enforcement at Santee Cooper, celebrated his victory at The Oaks Country Club in Goose Creek.
After the unofficial results were announced, an extremely emotional Lewis addressed the large crowd in attendance, thanking them for their support as well as Smalls who Lewis said “ran a good campaign.”
“I’m happy that the voters came out for me, and trust me and believe in me,” Lewis told The Post and Courier. “We stayed on message and were not distracted, and I think the people of Berkeley saw everything for what it was.”
After winning the May runoff, nine of the twelve former Republican candidates for sheriff endorsed Lewis. A few
days before the general election, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson also announced his endorsement of Lewis.
Endorsements also came from Berkeley Co. school board member Mac McQuillin, Berkeley Co. Councilman Josh Whitley and Berkeley Co. Coroner Bill Salisbury.
Lewis’ candidacy, however, did not come without controversy. At times the race got heated and some voters argue even “downright ugly.”
Opponents accused Lewis of purchasing his college degree from a diploma mill, embellishing the number of years he has in law enforcement and lying about being born in Berkeley County.
This ultimately led Adams, the winner of the primary, to withdraw his support for Lewis after initially endorsing him as the Republican candidate.
The controversy also spawned a movement by a large group called ‘The Concerned Voters of Berkeley Country’ to
campaign for Adams as a write-in.
In the end, their efforts did not succeed; however, members say the public hasn’t heard the last of them.
“The fight has just begun!!!!! Much more to come!!!!!! Please stay tuned!!!!!” wrote Donald Bailey on the group’s official Facebook page.
“Now it’s on to SLED and the SCAG to find out why there was nothing done about his use of a falsified document to get a state job which is right there in the Code of Laws,” stated CM Boles. “If they choose not to enforce the laws then it’s time to go to the FBI to find out why SLED chose not to charge him with a direct violation of the laws.”
Meanwhile, the Berkeley County Republican Party and other county leaders say they are looking ahead to the future and a smooth transition for Lewis in office.
“Great day in Berkeley County. Congratulations to our new sheriff,” stated Berkeley Co. Republican Chair Tim Callanan.
“Sheriff, I look forward to working with you on council to solve some of the problems we have. Congratulations!” stated Berkeley County Councilman Steve Gunn via social media.
After Lewis is sworn in, he’ll serve the remaining three years of former Sheriff Wayne DeWitt’s term.
According to Berkeley Co. Elections Director Adam Hammons, about 12 percent of the county’s 106,000 active registered voters turned out for Tuesday’s general election. He added that the votes will be certified on Friday.
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